Method and apparatus for combining strands



` Oct. 420, V1936. v. l.. JoHANNEssEN 2,058,234

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMBINING STRANDS 19.71 @w1-2am FIG. .5.

Oct. 20, \l936. v. l.. JoHANNEssEN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMBINING STRANDS Filed June l, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 AOct. 20, 1936. v. L. JoHANNEssEN 2,058,234

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMBINING STRANDS Filed 'June l, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 //l//s/vrof? v. L. JOHANNESSEN ATTORNEY I .suf`

Patented Oct. 20, 1936 UNET STATE-S METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COlVIBINING STRANDS Vaughn L. Johannessen, Cranford, N. J., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application June 1, 1935, Serial No. 24,543

14 Claims.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for combining strands and more particularly to a method and apparatus for making multiconductor electrical cab-les for use in the communication arts.

1n Inulticonductor cables for telephone use it is essential in some instances that the conductors of a given group within the cable shall not run parallel to the conductors of another given group for any substantial distance to obviate certain difficultiesV arising out of electrical capacity and mutual induction effects between the groups.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and means for making a multiconductor cable in which one group of conductors is stranded together spirally with a lay of a predetermined pitch while another group of conductors associated therewith is stranded with a lay of varying pitch.

One embodiment of the invention lcontemplates a method and an apparatus for laying up multiconductor cables which comprise steps and means for laying up an inner or core group of conductors stranded together with substantially constant pitch while simultaneously laying another group or shell of conductors around the core group with a lay having a regularly cyclically recurrent variation, or vice versa, or in which both groups have cyclically varying pitch but of unlike values.

Other objects and characteristic features of the invention will 'appear from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals are applied to identical parts in the several iigures and in which Fig. l is a diagrammatic broken perspective View in side elevation of a cabling machine constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a broken view in side elevation of a portion o conductor cable formed in the apparatus of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a View of the cable in end elevation;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 1 of a modified form of the machine;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of va cable formed therein;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. l of another form of machine', and

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 2 of a cable formed therein. f

In theembodiment herein disclosed, ay supply reel carrier generally'indicated by the numeral 20 comprises a left hand kannular member `2| and longitudinal -tie `members right. A plurality of conductor strand supply reels (not shown) is. supported in the .supply reel carrier 20 and the carrier is rotatably Vmounted in a standard I8 and is driven in rotation about e a horizontal axis by means not shown. The construction -and details =of the 'carrier 2i) and its drive are 4not a part of or pertinentgtoy the present invention and so are not disclosed here. Such devices yare well known in the art of combining strands, e. g. U. S. `Patent 1,866,272, issued t0 George A. Seeley, July 5, 1932, discloses a form o'fsupply reel carrier and drive wellfadapted for use in connection with the apparatus herein disclosed. Y

Strands 22 drawn from the supply reels ofthe carrier 2U pass freely thro-ugh lthe central aperture of the ring `2I and then individuallyY through corresponding perforations 23 formed in a circular distributor disc 24 rotatably supported in a fixed standard I9. The perforations 23 may preferably bearranged in concentric circles corresponding to an inner or core group A and an outer or shell group `B of strands in the completed .cable.` ,Y The distibutor disc '24 is `formed with aperipheral .gear 25 which `engages'with apinion `2t rigidly mounted on a drive shaft 21 driven by means not shown. A clutch disc/28 fis mounted on the shaft 21 yto 'be slidable thereon and is keyedthereto to rotate therewith by a key 29. The disc4 2'8 is formed with a peripheral groove in which is located a ring 30. '.The rear forked end 3| rof a lever 32 is secured to the ring 30 by pins 33, the lever being pivoted at -34 on a stationary Vstandard 35. 32 is secured to one end of a tensionspring 36, the other end of which may be conveniently secured to the standard I9.

Clutch pins 31 are mounted in the left face of the disc 28 for coaction with corresponding recesses '3,8 formed in the right side of aV pinion 39 mounted on the shaft 21 and freely rotatable thereon.` The pinion 39 engages 'with'a `peripheral gear 40 formed on a second distributor disc 4I rotatably mounted in 'a standard 42 and parallel to the disc 24. This second distributor disc4 4I is 'formed with a relativelylargefaxial per- The near end of the lever I1 extending to the n" foration 43 and Vwith a concentric ring of perthe distributor disc 4| to a twisting and cornpacting die 45 such as is customary in the art and thence to propelling mechanism not shown, of any suitable construction.

A cam 46 is formed on or secured to the left face of the disc 24 and is slidably engaged by the right end of a cam rod 41 conveniently slidablyv mounted in the standards 9 and 35. The left end of the rod 41 abuts against the near arm of the lever 32, and a push block 48 is rigidly mounted on the rod 41 to move therewith.

A rod 49 is slidably mounted in the block 48 and in the standard 35 and has stop collars 5D and 5| adjustab-ly secured thereon, as by jam screws 52 and 53. A spiral compression spring 54 surrounds the rod 49 and abuts against the collar 5| and the block 48. The left end of the rod 49 is adapted to enter a` corresponding recess 55 formed in the right face of the disc 4|.

In operation the drive shaft 21 may be thought of as rotating continuously and` unvaryingly counterclockwise as seen from the right, and the strands 22 as advancing continuously and unvaryingly through the apparatus from right to left.

The pinion 26 drives the distributor disc 24 in clockwise rotation and the strands being b-rought together at the die 45, this action tends to impose a uniform left hand twist on all the strands 22. Since the strands of the inner or core group A pass freely through the perforation 43 to the die 45, these strands are in fact so stranded together and lie in the finished cable with a uniformly pitched left .hand spiral lay.

The strands of the outer or shell groupB however pass individually through the perforations 44 of the distributor disc 4| and are therefore subjected to the action of this disc as well as of the disc 24. At a certain point in each revolution of the disc 24 the rod 41 slips 01T the abruptly terminated trailing endA 56 of the cam 46, and the spring 36 draws the near arm of the lever 32 and therewith the rod 41 to the right. The far or rear end of the flever 32 moves to the left carryingthe ring 30 and clutch disc 28 with it until the pins 31 engage in the recesses 38 rotating the pinion 39 and thus driving the distributor disc 4| in `clockwise rotation. At the same time the block 48 moves to the right with the rod 41 drawing the rod 49 also to the right against the urge of the spring 54 and releasing the left end of the rod 49 from the recess 55 just before the clutch pins 31 engage in the recesses 38.

The gearings 25, 26 and 39, 40 are so proportioned that the disc 4| is driven at a different speed than the disc 24. For discussion let it be assumed that disc 4| rotates at twice the speed of disc 24. The strands of the outer group B then are twined around the strands of the inner group A twice as fast as the strands of the inner group A are stranded together so long as the disc 4| is rotating. v

This effect continues during one-half revolution of disc 24 or one whole revolution of disc 4| until the tapering-advance end 51 of the cam 46 picks'up the rod 41 and shifts it to the left .against the tension of the spring 36. The block 48 compresses the spring 54 tending to drive the rod 49 to the left and pressing theA end of rod against the right face of the disc 4|, the resulting friction acting as a brake to slow the disc down until the end of the rod enters the recess 55 and stops the disc entirely. Meantime the first motion of the rod 41 to the left has actuated the lever 32 to disengage the clutch pins 31 from the recesses 38 thus leaving the disc 4| free to be braked and stopped as described. At this time the strands of the outer group B have shifted around on the unvaryingly pitched strands of the inner group A b-y about one half the circumference of the cable. The disc 4| being now stationary while the disc 24 continues to rotate unvaryingly, the inner group A overtakes the outer group B in lay during the second half revolution of disc 24 until the rod 41 slips off the abrupt trailing end 58 of the cam and the entire cycle begins again.

Thus with each rotation of the disc 24, one complete turn of uniform lay is imposed by the action of this disc upon the length of the strands in the inner group A entering the die 45 during the one rotation of the disc. At the same time, substantially the same length of the strands of the outer group B also receives one complete turn of lay, but this lay is nonuniform in pitch, all of it being put in one half of the length, while the disc 4| is rotating, and no spiral being put into the other half length of the outer group B while the disc 4| is stationary. In the completed cable therefore the strands of the inner or core group A lie with a continuous unvarying lay while the strands of the outer or shell group B lie with a lay whose total number of turns in any given length of the cable is the same as that of group A, but whose pitch varies cyclically from infinite pitch to twice the constant pitch of group A.

By altering the angular length of the cam 46 on the disc 24, the character of the twist of group B may be widely altered without affecting its cyclicality.

The embodiment of the machine shown in Fig. 4 is a modification of that described above, which produces a cable of the structure shown in Fig. 5. This machine is derived from that of Fig. l substantially by inverting the drive relatio-n of the discs 4| and 24. It is thought that Fig. 4 is clearly self-explanatory after the detailed description of Fig. l and that no complete and detailed description in words is here necessary except as follows.

In Fig. 4 disc 24 is driven in intermittent clockwise rotation (as seen from the right) by the pinion 39 under the control of the clutch 31, 38, the lever 32, the bar 41, the spring 36 and the cam 46, while the disc 4| is driven in the same direction in continuous uniform motion.

The inner or core group C of strands is alternately spiralled and laid straight by the disc 24, since they pass freely through the aperture 43 to the die 45. Although the strands of the outer or shell group D are moved intermittently between the discs 24 and 4|, this nonuniform motion does not pass the disc 4|, and these strands are laid by the disc 4| about the core group at the die 45 with uniform and unbroken pitch. Thus the product has the general characteristics shown in Fig. 5.

In each of the two machines described above the average pitches ofthe inner and outer groups of strands must be the same as no cumulative twist may be put into the strands relatively to each other between the discs 24 and 4|. In Fig. 6 is illustrated a modied form of the machine in which this is not a necessary limitation, and in which more than two groups of strands may be amazes combinedI in distinctllayers of the;A completed cable, each layerl or grouphaying; a lay` distinct. in character from the others..v i Y In this embodimentV the mechanismmounted in and between the standards |8 |9 and 42;' issu-b.- stantially the same asY that shown inf-Figzi'lL andis operative to strand' the core groupC. and middle shell group D of the completed cable, shown` in Fig. '7 in thesame manner 'as the groups C and-D of Fig. are laid up by the machine Vof Fig. 4. In Fig. 6,` there is added mechanism which is operative to strand a` third or outer shell: group F (Fig. I'1) about the group this outerK group differing inV length of pitcl 1,` if desi-red, as.well-as in character of lay from either or bothv of thev other groups. r

This additional `mechanism comprises a` standard |42 having a distributor discnldlgfrotatably mounted therein and provided with a central aperture |43. through which the strands ofthe cor-e group and the middle shellgroup passl freely from the aperture 43. and the apertures 44- to thedie 4 5. The disc |4.| may be formed as an elliptical gear which meshes with a complemen- "1 tary elliptical gear |39 rigidly, mounted. on aV shaft |21 driven from. or driving the` shaft 21 through gears |10, 1|" and |12.. A cage- |60 is rigidly mounted on the rear' face of the'disc |4| to rotate therewith and carries a plurality of supply reels |6| from which the strands of the group E are drawn and pass through individual perforations |44 to the die 45.

The ratio of the speed of the shaft |21 to that of the shaft 21 may be given any desired value by suitably proportioning the gears |10, and H2 which in turn will determine the ratio of the pitch of group F to that of groups C and D.

It is easily seen therefore that this apparatus will strand a cable as shown in Fig. '7 in which the core group C has cyclically abruptly varying pitch, the middle shell group D has unvarying pitch of the same value, and the outer shell group D has cyclically smoothly varying pitch of a value independent of that of groups C and D.

By failing to thread strands through the apertures 413, a cable may be produced having two groups, each cyclically varying in pitch, and independent of each other as to pitch value. By omitting to thread strands through the aperture 43, a cable may be produced analogous to that of Fig. 2 but with the two groups independent as to pitch value.

It is to be noted that by the phrase completed cable in this description, the product issuing from the die 45 is meant. In practise this cable as a whole may undergo further twisting which will change the outer appearance but will not change the pitch and lay relation of the core and shell groups to each other.

In either machine, the fate of the cable after entering the die 45 is not within the field of this invention. It may be desired however, in some instances, to impose additional twist thereafter which may be accomplished, for example, by the means shown in U. S. Patent 1,866,272 already referred to.

The embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are illustrative only. and may be widely modied and departed from without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out in and limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A method of combining strands to form a cable which comprises stranding a plurality of strands with constant pitch, strandinga. second plurality of' strands with cyclically varying. pitch, and positioning one of the ,pluralities asashell' about the'other asa core.

l 2a' A method of combining strands to formv a.

plurality. Y v 4. Anlapparatus for combining strandsfto-formi a. cable, whichjcomprises means 'to strand fa plurality oi strands with one kind' of' pitch, means.: to strand aseccnd pluralityof strands witlr another kind of" pitch, and; means' to position one'- of the pluralities as a-shell about the other'as; a.

core.;

5. An apparatus for-:combining strandstc'formV a; cable, which comprises means; to.. strand a pluralityv of strandswith a lay of constant pitch,. means to strand a second 'plurality' of. strands: with a layof` cyclically varying pitch-,.and-means; to position one of the pluralities as a shell about the other as a core. Y'

6. An apparatus for combining strands to form Y a cable, which comprises means to strand a plurality of strands with a lay of cyclically varying pitch, means to strand a second plurality of str-ands with alay of differently cyclically varying pitch, and means to position one of the pluralities as a shell about the other as a core.

'7. An apparatus for combining strands to form a cable, which comprises means to strand aV plurality of strands in combination with means to simultaneously impose a lay of'cyclically varying pitch upon a part of the plurality while the entire plur-ality is being stranded.

8. An apparatus for combining strands'to form a cable which comprises means to revolve a plurality of strands at constant speed about a common axis, means to revolve a second plurality of strands at varying speed about the same axis, and means to combine the two pluralities together and to annul their revolution, whereby all the strands are intertwisted together and those of the first `plurality haveV constant pitch and those of the second plurality havevarying pitch.

9. An apparatus for combining strands to form `a cable which comprises means to revolve a plurality of strands at constant speed about a common axis, means to revolve a second plurality of strands at varying speed about the same axis, and m'eans to lay the second plurality about the rst plurality and annul their revolution whereby the strands of the first plurality form a core group of constant pitch and the strands of the second plurality form a shell group of varying pitch about the core group.

10. An apparatus for combining strands to form 'a cable which comprises means to revolve a plurality of strands at constant speed about a common axis, means to revolve a second plurality of strands at varying speed about the same axis, and means to lay the rst plurality about the second plurality and annul their revolution a core group of constant pitch and the strands of the rst plurality form a shell group of varying pitch about the core group.

11. An apparatus for combining strands to form a cable which comprises a distributor member through which all of the strands pass under individual control, a second distributor member through which a part only of the strands passes under individual control, means to rotate one distributor member at constant speed, means to rotate the other distributor member at varying speed, and means to receive all of the strands from the distributor members and twist them together.

12. An apparatus for combining strands to form a cable Which comprises a rotatable disributor disc provided with an individual guide for each of all of the strands, a second rotatable distributor disc provided with an individual guide for each of a part of the strands and with an aperture to pass another part freely, means to rotate the first distributor disc at constant speed, means to rotate the second distributor disc at cyclically varying speed, and a die to receive and twist together all of the strands. Y

13. An apparatus for combining strands to form a cable which comprises means to revolve a plurality of strands at varying speed about a common axis, means to revolve a second plurality of str-ands at constant speed about the same axis, means to revolve a third plurality of strands at varying speed about the same axis, and means Vto lay the second plurality about the rst plurality and the third plurality about the second plurality and to annul their revolution whereby the strands of the first plurality form a core group of varying pitch, the strands of the second plurality form a shell group of constant pitch about the core group, and the strands of the third plurality form a shell group of varying pitch about the rst and second pluralities.

14. An apparatus for combining strands to form a c-able Which comprises a distributor member through which two pluralities of strands pass under individual control, a second distributor member throughv which one plurality only passes under individual control, a third distributor memberv through which a third plurality of strands passes under individual control, means toy rotate one vci? the distributor members at varying speed, means to rotate another of the distriubtor members at constant speed, means to rotate the remaining one of the distributor members at varying speed, and means to receive all of the strands from the distributor member and twist them together.

VAUGHN L. J OHANNESSEN. 

